For their part, the folks over at Gumpert have always taken pride in their Apollo supercar, so much so that at one point, it held the title of fastest supercar in the world.

So how do you top what was once a record-setting a machine? You up the ante and introduce the Gumpert Apollo R.

As the latest in a long line of special model Gumpert Apollos, the Apollo R follows in the footsteps of its predecessors by being, in every sense of the phrase, an insanely ridiculous machine on four wheels.

We know what the Apollo is capable of so it’s really interesting how Gumpert worked on improving the capabilities of the Apollo R. After all, they wouldn’t have put that "R" in its name without any reason.

Exterior and Interior

The Apollo R has bodywork that’s machined from carbon fiber to go with a tube frame and an integrated carbon & kevlar safety cell, a carbon body, a carbon and aluminum underbody, Makrolon side windows, and kill switches. In addition to that, the Apollo R also has a carbon rear wing to give the supercar premium downforce while carbon louvers have been added to give the wheels plenty of ventilation. The Apollo R is also lighter than its namesake by 100 kg/220 lbs, which was made possible by Gumpert’s choice of using wire harness milled components, as well as the lithium battery and Makrolonside windows.

Inside, the Apollo R was dressed in Alcantara with six-point safety belts that includes the H.AN.S. system. There’s also a fire extinguishing system for safety purposes, a 2D-BigDash display, and a data recorder.

Performance

For the engine, Gumpert fitted the Apollo R’s 4.2-liter V8 engine with a higher supercharging pressure, ignition, and control time adjustments, optimization of the intake air ducts, and a special racing exhaust system. All those additions give the supercar 860 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 723 lb/ft of torque at 4,000 rpm with a redline set at 7,400 rpm.
This engine is mated to a race dog ring transmission with a TT40e electronic gear system, a twin plate clutch configuration, and self-locking differential. All told, the Apollo R is capable of blasting off from 0-62 mph in just 2.9 seconds and 0-124 mph in 8.6 seconds, with a "conservatively estimated" top speed of 191 mph. Take away that phrase and we’re guessing that with the right gearbox ratio, the Apollo R will have no problem breaking 220 mph.

Chassis and Suspension

A car of this power needs to be carefully built and Gumpert took the time to make it as well-equipped to handle the rigors of its potential power. The supercar has a double wishbone suspension with adjustable rebound and compression. It also has a front anti-roll bar and a titanium rear anti-roll bar, and a new set of
18" aluminum wheels.

Pricing

No word yet on how much the Apollo R will cost, but since Gumpert has been throwing the phrase "conservative estimates" around, we’ll borrow it and say that it’s going to be well over $500,000 dollars.

Competition

Niche supercars have become the rage these days and you won’t see a better comp for the Apollo R than perhaps the Pagani Huayra. The former has the leg up in power by a significant margin, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Huayra is still a rocket on wheels, capable of posting similar 0-62 mph numbers and a competitive top speed of well over 220 mph.